How to Make a Cottage Shelf with Branches

Create this distinctive display shelf in minutes

Need a quick, distinctive display shelf? Make this twig furniture style shelf from all-natural materials. Just cut the supports from branches, screw on a shelf, attach it to the wall and you're done!

By the DIY experts of The Family Handyman Magazine

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Time

Instant!

Complexity

Super Simple!

Cost

Under $20

Cut the pieces and fasten them to the wall

Photo 1: Cut the branches

Build a simple jig to hold the branch steady. Cut the ends flush with the end of the jig.

Photo 2: Drill shelf holes

Trace around the branches where they touch the shelf bottom, then drill the holes and screw the shelf to the branches.

Photo 3: Fasten to the wall

Drill pilot holes near the top and bottom of the branch into the drywall. Then sink drywall anchors and screw the shelf to the wall.

Bring a bit of nature indoors with this simple branch-supported shelf. You’ll have to find two forked branches about 1 in. in diameter, with one relatively straight side that will sit as flush to the wall as possible. We trimmed our branches from a crab apple, but you can use any smooth-barked tree. Our shelf is 12-in. melamine closet shelving with the ends painted white. Yours can be any wood you like, but keep the width to 12 in. or less.

To make square cuts on the branch ends, create a jig with scrap wood and a 2×4. Clamp the jig to your workbench. Then clamp each branch to the 2×4 and use the bottom edge of the jig to guide your cuts (Photo 1). Cut the branches above the crotch where the ends will be wide enough to support the shelf—one near the wall, the other close to the edge.

Clamp the shelf to the jig and trace around the branch. Drill pilot holes near the bottom of the marks at the front edge of the shelf so the screw tips won’t poke through the branch (Photo 2). Bore countersink holes for the screw heads at the top of the shelf. Then hold the branches tight to the shelf while screwing them in. Hold the shelf level while you drill two holes through each branch into the drywall to mark the wall for drywall anchors. Screw your new shelf to the wall and fill it with your treasures.

Required Tools for this Project

Have the necessary tools for this DIY project lined up before you start—you’ll save time and frustration.

4-in-1 screwdriver

Clamps

Cordless drill

Drill bit set

Handsaw

Level

Stepladder

Stud finder

Tape measure

Required Materials for this Project

Avoid last-minute shopping trips by having all your materials ready ahead of time. Here’s a list.